


The New Marauder

by Draconis_patronum



Series: The Marauders Trilogy [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Auror Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy Has Long Hair, Draco Malfoy is Bad at Feelings, Draco Malfoy is So Done, Draco Malfoy is a Good Friend, Gen, Good Draco Malfoy, Gryffindor Draco Malfoy, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Multi, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Slow Burn, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:34:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23781706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draconis_patronum/pseuds/Draconis_patronum
Summary: Draco Malfoy has been Auror Partners with Harry Potter for the better part of a year. It was safe to say that nothing surprised him anymore.Except landing on his arse in the middle of 1975, of course.Or:Draco Malfoy falls through time and lands in the Marauder's Era and it is absolutely Potter's fault.
Relationships: Minor James Potter/Lily Evans - Relationship, Remus Lupin/Draco Malfoy
Series: The Marauders Trilogy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1712131
Comments: 46
Kudos: 397





	1. Chapter 1

Draco hated Harry Potter. He had said it before, but now he _meant_ it. 

Draco stood in the Headmaster's office, fuming. He rarely let his emotions show so blatantly on his face, but right now, he couldn't control it. Just a few moments ago he had been a 22-year-old man and now he was a 16-year-old again. The only thing he could thank Potter for was that he didn't have the Dark Mark anymore.

His anger faltered at that and he unconsciously held his left arm. Glancing at his arm, it was unreal to think that if he rolled up his sleeve, his forearm would be bare. No dark magic tainting it. He wouldn't be able to feel the magic oozing out of it. 

Draco watched Dumbledore smile at him, his eyes twinkling as always. The memories of that day in the astronomy tower were buried deep in his mind. He was grateful for his Occlumency; if he didn't have it, he would have broken down the moment he saw the Headmaster again. 

Occlumency helped Draco keep his emotions in check. It helped him bury the memories that he hated and lock away emotions that he didn’t want to feel.

"Your case is unusual Mr Malfoy," Dumbledore said. 

Draco rolled his eyes, "My case is unheard of, Headmaster." 

"Yes, it is. Travelling back more than five hours is dangerous in itself with a time turner, but ritual magic and travelling back so far?" Draco glared at Dumbledore, making him chuckle. 

"I know. I'm fucked." Draco threw his head back. 

"No need to use such crude language, Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore chided him.

"I'm not a student here," Draco said and Dumbledore levelled him with a look. 

"You are now." Dumbledore sounded thoughtful. 

“Unless, of course, you want to go somewhere else. I will not force you to stay at Hogwarts, but I recommend it.” Dumbledore added.

Draco thought for a moment. There was nowhere for him to go. He was a student here now. It wasn't like he had anyone to go to. No one knew him. He supposed he should be grateful he landed in front of Dumbledore in the first place. Who knew if the old man would have believed him otherwise? He probably would have, he was too trusting. 

Draco nodded. 

"The students will be arriving here shortly. You will be sorted after all the first years." Draco groaned, he would have to be sorted with ickle firsties. 

"There is only one problem, Mr Malfoy. Your last name. I'm sure you know of your social standing." Dumbledore let him think for a moment. 

Draco knew if he kept his last name, Lucius would seek him out immediately. He didn't want anything to do with his father. He hadn't seen Lucius since he was thrown in Azkaban, he didn't even know if he had been released. He hadn't wanted anything to do with the man anymore. Mother couldn't divorce him because of the contract she had signed on her wedding night but they were as good as divorced. 

Draco had made his decision, "Black."

Dumbledore looked surprised for a moment, "That is still a Pureblood last name." 

"Yes, it is." He said. 

Dumbledore stayed quiet for a moment, "The Black's will seek you out. They might try to perform a blood test on you. Tell me, Mr Malfoy, do you have Black blood in you?" 

"My mother." He answered shortly. 

Dumbledore's eyes lit up, "Narcissa. I should have known. You resemble Lucius but you have your mother's eyes." 

Draco's eyes narrowed. He hated the fact that he looked like Lucius. He had grown his hair out after the war, to show that he wasn't scared of his father anymore. While growing his hair out made him look more like Lucius, he found that he didn’t care. He had cut his hair so short after the war, but as time went on, as he grew more confident in himself; he let it grow out. He wore his title as a Malfoy proudly, but he saw his father as a stain on their name. 

He tucked his hair behind his ear, "May I leave now, Headmaster?" Draco remembered how once he wouldn’t have asked so kindly to leave the room, he would have either left or demanded to leave.

"Of course, my boy. If you would meet me on the Head table once the students arrive. " Dumbledore smiled and Draco left the room. 

The students. Something occurred to him. It was 1975. James Potter had been attending Hogwarts in 1975. He stopped in the middle of the hallway. James Potter was alive. That meant that Pettigrew was alive as well. 

It was common knowledge after the war that Pettigrew had been the one to out the Potters. Potter had been set on clearing his Godfather's name. 

He wondered; if he could separate Pettigrew from the group before he managed to out the Potters, what would that do? 

He didn’t want to think about that right now. First, he had to get his bearings. He was in a completely new time, he had to adjust before he thought of saving anyone. Merlin, he was acting like a Gryffindor. He could think of Pettigrew later.

He didn't think about it much longer as he heard the laughter of children passing by him. He had to go to the Head table now.

He followed the students to the Great Hall and got onto the Head table, standing next to Dumbledore. He spotted a few people he recognized from his own time, Slughorn was one of them. Slughorn gave him a wave, looking at him with interest. Flitwick was there as well as McGonagall. Flitwick wasn’t paying much attention to him, although he did smile at Draco. McGonagall was looking at him with fascination.

Hagrid stood to the side. He gave Draco a laugh and patted him on the shoulder, he didn’t say anything. Perhaps that was how he showed affection? He didn’t know much about the giant.

Looking at the Great Hall; a wave of nostalgia hit him. Nothing had changed. The tables were still littered with kids of all ages talking to their friends, a few were looking at him in confusion while others were whispering to their friends while pointing at him. The firsties were gathered in a group just in front of the Head table, some were happy, some nervous, while others looked like they were about to burst from excitement. One boy was quite literally bouncing up and down. Looking at the smiles on some of their faces, Draco found himself smiling with them as he remembered how happy he had been when he'd started his first year of Hogwarts. 

"Sally Abbott!" McGonagall yelled and the hall instantly calmed down.

Draco winced. Sally Abbott was the mother of Hannah Abbott. He didn't know Hannah personally, but he knew that Sally had perished in the war. Hannah went on to marry Longbottom, who had been there for her when she was grieving. Potter had invited Longbottom to their office sometimes, and occasionally, Longbottom had brought his wife. Last time he saw her, Hannah had been heavily pregnant with Longbottom's first spawn.

The girl was instantly sorted into Hufflepuff. Much like his own sorting, the hat called out Hufflepuff before it was properly placed on her head. 

McGonagall continued to call out names but Draco only listened when he saw someone that he knew - or someone that had died in the war - for the most part. He was occupied with goggling at the mothers and fathers of people that he knew. Frank and Alice Longbottom sat at the Gryffindor table, Alice had her head on Frank's shoulder. 

What really caught his attention, was James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. They were all blatantly staring at him while Potter was trying to catch his attention. Lupin was looking at him curiously, but when he locked eyes with him, he looked away instantly. Was Lupin shy? Draco silently thought that was adorable.

Draco chuckled at the thought, Remus Lupin - the one who had fought so valiantly and had died in war defending the woman he had loved - was shy.

Lupin had scars on him. He didn’t have as many as he had in Draco’s time, but he had quite a few on his face. They weren’t ugly per se. They were just noticeable. 

Once upon a time, Draco had made fun of Lupin’s scars. But now, he found that he didn’t mind them much. He knew that Lupin was a werewolf. He still had some bias towards half-breeds, but he was working to overcome them. 

Werewolves were still a problem for him, though. Having Greyback in the manor was horrible. He had eaten all of their house-elves the first day he was there. He had leered over Draco and was only stopped by Narcissa. 

Draco still shuddered remembering him.

James Potter and Sirius Black were looking at him unabashedly. When he caught their eye, James waved while Sirius winked at him. Draco, back in his own time, had heard rumours that Sirius Black was bisexual. He wondered if this wink was proof that the rumours were true. Draco, back in his own time had heard that Sirius Black was bisexual and Sirius was attractive, If they weren’t cousins, Draco would have returned the wink and made a few passes at him - just for fun - but they were. He had many kinks, but Incest wasn't one of them. 

Pettigrew - the traitor - was looking at the floor, occasionally talking to Remus. Pettigrew looked odd, and Draco made a mental note to investigate. 

His eyes drifted away from the Gryffindor table and landed on a certain boy sitting at the Slytherin table, he wasn't paying attention to anyone and had his nose stuffed in a book. 

Severus Snape. 

He felt a painful twinge at seeing his godfather again. He had died from that awful snake and Draco had never truly recovered from it. He still regularly visited his grave, sometimes leaving flowers on his birthday. Severus had been the father that Draco had never had, he had listened to Draco when he complained about Potter and returned his sentiments. They had bonded over their love of potions and Severus had helped him in the subject before he had attended Hogwarts.   
One day, when Draco was visiting Severus, he had seen Potter there as well. Potter was hovering over another grave, he didn’t know who it was. Potter had noticed Draco, and much to Draco’s surprise, he hadn't made fun of Draco, instead, he reassured him that there was nothing wrong with mourning loved ones and they had actually _talked_ to each other. And it was no small talk, they had opened their hearts to each other and had discussed their mutual mourning of dead loved ones. Draco had learnt a lot about Potter that day. 

Severus didn't look up from his book at all, sometimes he glanced up to look around but he never left his book for long. After a bit of reading, he would pick up a quill, dip it in some ink and scribble in the book, his face pinched in concentration. It was odd, even at 16, Severus was exactly like the man that he had known. 

There were a few others that he recognized at that table, the one worth noting, however, was Regulus Black. The Black brothers had been proclaimed war heroes when the war had ended. Apparently, Regulus Black had destroyed one of the dark lord's weapons and lost his life doing so. It was a rather ridiculous story involving a potion, a boat and a house-elf. Many had been reluctant to accept Regulus Black as a hero as it was well known that he had barred the Dark mark in his lifetime. But with the persistent pushing of Saint Potter, it had become common knowledge that Regulus Black was a crucial part in defeating Voldemort.

Finally, the sorting ended and Dumbledore got up. 

"Students, we have one more student to sort today. He will be joining our current students in his sixth year. Please welcome, Draco Black." Dumbledore said and the hall quieted. Sirius Black's jaw dropped open as did many of the Slytherin students’. 

Draco ignored the gasps and walked to the stool, sitting down gracefully and hoping the hat wouldn't yell out Slytherin immediately this time. He had no desire to be in that house again. Yes, he still liked his house and its values, but he hated what it reminded him of. It reminded him of his father and his values, of his sixth year and the stress of being tasked with killing someone. 

Draco had never recovered from his sixth year. Seeing Dumbledore fall had left its mark on him. Draco still didn’t kill anyone in his Auror work, he only disarmed and sometimes severely maimed. But no one had died on his watch.

McGonagall lowered the hat on his head and he held his breath for a moment. 

It didn't call out Slytherin. 

He sighed and waited for the hat to start speaking to him. 

_'Well, well, well. You're different this time.'_ A playful voice flooded his head. 

_'Let's take a look inside that noggin of yours shall we?'_ The hat didn't wait for his response before he felt it digging around in his head. It should be glad Draco was such a nice person, otherwise, he wouldn't have let down his Occlumency shields. 

_'My! Such a brave young lad. Such a change from how you were. You would make an excellent Gryffindor!'_

Draco's mouth dropped open. _A Gryffindor?_. Draco almost laughed at the irony of it. He could only imagine the look on Potter's face if he ended up being a Gryffindor. 

_'Smart too...cares about his friends, Helga would have loved you!'_

_'Hmm...'_

Draco rolled his eyes, he knew the hat would stay with its first choice. 

_'Right you are, Mr. Malfoy.'_

"GRYFFINDOR!" 

.....

A boy fainted. 

Draco laughed out loud, took off the hat and walked towards the quiet Gryffindor table, sitting next to Remus Lupin who, across from Sirius Black. 

He didn’t want to sit next to Black or Potter and Lupin seemed like someone who wouldn’t goggle at him like the rest of the table was doing now. Draco loved attention, but he didn’t like being goggled at.

It was still silent and Draco resisted the urge to fall into hysterics right there. It was just so _ironic_.

"I expect you to treat your new student with respect. Now, I welcome you back to Hogwarts, tuck in!" Food appeared out of nowhere and a few people started eating but others were still looking at him. Sirius Black looked like he was about to faint. 

Draco silently thought that was a bit much. But then again, Gryffindors always were dramatic. He would fit right in.

Speaking of fainting, he looked back at the Slytherin table where the boy had fainted previously, he was still lying on the floor. 

"Is no one going to pick up the boy that's on the floor, he looks hurt." True to his words, a red welt was forming on the boy's head from the fall. He looked back at Black whose eyes were still open wide as he looked at him like he was an alien. 

Inwardly, Draco was cringing at how everyone was looking at him like he was Merlin reincarnated. Outwardly, he was smiling. 

"You know, if you're about to faint, I could conjure you a pillow. I would offer a mattress but I think that would be a bit too noticeable." Draco looked at the small space in between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table. 

"Yes, no need to scare the Ravenclaw's with a random mattress, is there?" His voice was getting breathy, the way it did when he was nervous. Merlin, he sounded like Lovegood. 

That made Black break out of his stupor, he tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. He was looking at Draco suspiciously now. 

"Who are you?" Black asked. 

"Draco." Draco tilted his head. 

Black looked frustrated, "No. _Who are you?_ " He said slower this time and Draco growled inside his head. 

"He's talking about your surname mate." James Potter perked up next to Black, he sounded cheerier but was looking at Draco with interest. 

"Hmm, what about it?" Draco still pretended to be confused. 

Lupin chimed in, "Sirius is a Black as well." 

"So who are you?!" Black yelled this time and the hall quieted down as they also wanted to know the answer. 

Draco smiled and repeated, "Draco." 

Black threw his head into a pile of mashed potatoes in front of him. 

Pettigrew laughed before asking Draco timidly, "Who are your parents?" 

He swore he saw the whole Great Hall leaning forward collectively. Black lifted his now mashed potato covered face and looked at Draco, eagerly awaiting the answer. 

"Oh, I don't know. I was left on Dumbledore's porch as a baby, with a not that had my name and birthday on it." Draco smiled.

Black's eyes narrowed and a glob of potato got in them, causing him to fling backwards trying to get it out of his eyes. Draco's smile grew bigger as he thoughtfully pointed out,

"I think you have mashed potatoes on your face." 

***************************


	2. Chapter 2

Black was avoiding him. Ever since they had gotten to the common room - which was very different from the Slytherin one - he had made a point of not coming close to him. Draco didn't mind. He would talk to him later, or make him talk to him. Draco already had a few ideas to how he could make that happen.

Right now, he was sitting next to Remus Lupin, who had his face buried in a book. Lupin occasionally glanced at Draco but otherwise, he completely ignored him. Lupin's face was red, he really _was_ shy.

Draco read the cover of the book and his face lit up, "You like Aristotle?" He asked. 

Aristotle was one of Draco's favourite philosophers.

Lupin was looking at him, slightly surprised. 

" _You_ like Aristotle?" He remarked, eyes slightly wide. 

"Are you kidding? His works in Ethics, Politics and Metaphysics are amazing. What book are you reading?" He smiled. He actually smiled. It wasn't fake. Fake like so many times before. Most of his Auror work required getting close to your target.

Lupin smiled, "James and the others don't like anything that doesn't have to do with Quidditch and Defence Against the Dark Arts." 

Draco chuckled, that reminded him of his Potter, "What book are you reading?" He asked again. 

Lupin showed him the book, "It's about Aristotle's school, the Lyceum." Lupin said. 

Draco had heard of Aristotle's school, but he hadn't been able to find any books on it. He didn't have much time to look either. So when he saw this book, he had to physically restrain himself from snatching it from Lupin's hands, take it into the dorm to begin reading, and not coming out for at least a few days. 

"I mean, he was just so amazing, I love reading about him." Lupin gushed. 

"His questions were so thought-provoking that I-"

"Stayed in your room for days?" Lupin finished for him and Draco nodded. 

Outwardly, he was staying civilized. But on the inside, he was throwing a party, he never got to talk about his love for Philosophy with anyone. It wasn't a very well-liked subject amongst Slytherins. 

Draco opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by someone throwing themselves on the couch in front of them, "Moony's got a _friend_." James Potter said. 

Draco looked around and sure enough, Sirius was there, leaning against the doorway looking at Draco suspiciously. Draco wanted to roll his eyes, but instead, he smiled at him.

"What're you two talking about?" Potter asked pushing his glasses up. 

"Aristotle," Lupin answered and both Black and Potter groaned at the same time. 

"He forcing you to listen to him gush over him, mate?" Potter asked Draco. 

Draco shook his head, "I love Aristotle. I asked him about the book. Merlin knows he never would've talked to me if I didn't. He's shy." Draco stated and was confused when Black and Potter exchanged a look. 

Black opened his mouth with a sly grin on his face and Lupin threw the book at him. 

"Moony!" Black exclaimed and rubbed his nose where the book had hit it. It was quite a large book, that must have hurt. 

"Moony?" Draco questioned tilting his head. 

Black and Potter exchanged another look, this time, Draco knew what it meant. It must have been a nickname pertaining to Lupin's condition. Salazar, Gryffindors had the subtlety of an _Avada Kedavra._

"Just nicknames," Lupin said, but Draco heard the slight nervous tone of his voice and knew that he was right. 

Before they said anything else, Pettigrew came running in. "Where did you guys go?" He asked. 

"Oh, we thought you were behind us," Black blew him off and Draco hated that he felt pity for Pettigrew. It was truly sad the way the boy deflated at being brushed off.

"Hello, what's your name?" Draco asked politely. 

Pettigrew perked back up at being talked to. "Peter." He responded and Draco nodded. 

"Oh yeah! Forgot we never told you our names!" Potter laughed. 

Black chuckled as well and went to sit down next to James on the couch. 

"I'm Sirius." He said. 

"James," Potter said. 

"Remus." Lupin chimed in. 

Draco nodded, he knew that they already knew his name. 

"Peter, why don't you sit down here?" He offered and Pettigrew grinned the widest grin Draco had ever seen as he sat down next to him. 

Draco looked back at Black and saw his eyes shifting around, looking anywhere but at him. Potter, watching Sirius, rolled his eyes. Turning to Draco he said, "Sirius' worried you're a pureblood biggot like the rest of your family." 

Then, he paused. 

"You're not, right?" Potter askedand Lupin seemed to tense up next to him. 

"No, never thought about blood purity much." That was a blatant lie, but he said what he knew they wanted to hear. 

Lupin sighed, relaxing. 

Draco glancedover at Pettigrew and saw him looking around the room, not knowing what to say. 

"What about you?" He addressed Peter and he perked up again. Did no one talk to this boy?

"No, Ma taught me to never think of that stuff." Pettigrew shook his head.

"Hmm." Draco hummed and turned back to Black. 

"You?" 

Black's face immediately soured and Draco wondered if he had crossed the line. 

"No," Black answered shortly, looking at a wall. 

"Nope," Potter said before Draco could ask him. 

Draco turned to Lupin and he shook his head. 

"Hmm." Draco hummed again. 

"So, mate, were you really raised by Dumbledore?" James asked. 

Draco nodded. 

"Well, do you know any cool spells?" James asked again. 

Draco nodded. 

"Ugh, _talk to me_." James whined. 

Draco nodded. 

James gasped and put a hand over his heart with a look of fake hurt, he turned to Lupin and said, "Moony, he's mean." He huffed. 

Lupin laughed and went over to grab his book, it lay abandoned on the floor where he had hurled it at Black. Draco still didn't understand why he had thrown the book at him but he didn't think much of it. 

"So, why didn't you come to Hogwarts before?" Black asked him. 

Draco thought for a moment before giving a noncommittal shrug, "I didn't really want to." 

Black raised an eyebrow, "And now you do?" 

"You need OWL and NEWT scores for most things," Draco remarked. 

James gasped again, "You talk to him but not _me_." 

"The betrayal." Draco drawled. 

Pettigrew laughed next to him. 

"Lupin, may I borrow the book once you're done with it?" Draco asked Lupin, who was leaving the room. 

Lupin turned around and nodded at him, not meeting his eyes for some reason. He glared at Black before leaving the room. Black chuckled and winked at Lupin. 

"Have you ever done a blood test? Maybe then you could figure out who your parents are." James asked, suddenly serious. 

"That was one of the first things Dumbledore did. My parents had thought of that though, whenever someone tried to do a test, the results were blurred out. Well, their first names were blurred out, but they did confirm that at least one of my parents was a Black. They could never see the other one's last name though." Draco bullshitted his way through the story. 

He was always good at improvisation. 

Black nodded, "Heard of that; some people did that so that Squibs couldn't be traced back to their families," he said with a look of disgust. 

Potter suddenly jumped up and walked towards Draco.

"I like you." He declared proudly. 

"I'm flattered,t but I think of you as a friend." Draco nodded solemnly. 

Potter sputtered for a moment and Black laughed in the background. Pettigrew giggled next to him. 

"Rejected yet again, mate," Black said. 

Potter rolled his eyes and looked back at Draco, "I like you as a friend. I, James Potter, invite you, Draco Black, to hang out with the Marauders." He finished his declaration with a mock bow.

Draco stood up and bowed in return, "I, Draco Black, hereby accept your proposal."

Potter laughed.

Lupin came back into the room at that moment. He looked dishevelled, his hair was mussed and his eyes were wide. He cleared his throat when he noticed all of them staring at him and pointed behind him. 

"Um, your stuff is on the spare bed." He said in a small voice. 

Draco's eyes widened, Dumbledore the sneaky bastard. 

"How did you know it was mine?" Draco asked. 

Lupin cleared his throat again as his cheeks began to heat up, "Pair of boxers with your name on it." He said in a small voice. 

Draco facepalmed, Dumbledore the _cheeky_ bastard. 

"I didn't touch them." Lupin squeaked and Black and Potter laughed. Pettigrew giggled again. 

"I didn't say you did." Draco rolled his eyes and walked to Lupin's side. 

He turned to face him and drawled, "Well, aren't you going to give me a tour?" 

***********************

Just like Lupin had said, Draco's things, or at least, what Dumbledore made seem like were Draco's things lay on the bed. Most of the things were random, a spare wand there (it fit his magical core, don't know how Dumbledore did that) and a trunk full of school supplies on top of the bed. 

There was a pair of underwear beneath the bed however, it was just peaking out. He picked up the pair of boxers and put them in the trunk. 

He turned back to Lupin, "Which bed's whose?" He asked. 

Lupin turned to a bed on his right and said, "That one's mine." 

"The one next to that is Sirius', and then's James, and finally Peter." He finished, pointing at each bed as he went along. 

Draco looked around at all the empty beds in the room, "What about the rest?" He questioned. 

Lupin chuckled, "No one really gets put with us, Dumbledore and McGonagall tried to put a few in here, but they got scared off by James and Sirius. They have this thing called a 'welcome prank' that they do." He giggled. 

"Speaking of; you might want to keep your eyes open for that. It's a new one every time. Thing is, I think James actually likes you." Lupin shrugged. 

"And he didn't like the others?" Draco raised an eyebrow. 

"Not really. He's picky." Lupin waved off. 

Draco shrugged and turned away from Lupin. He moved to put the trunk beneath his bed. So Potter and Black were going to try and prank him? Well, he would just have to prank them back. He knew a few charms and a few hexes. This would be fun. 

************************

Draco sat in the Gryffindor common room, an hour before any sane person would wake up, so he was quite surprised when Lupin came down looking shaken. 

He stopped when he noticed Draco sitting in the lone chair in front of the fireplace, his eyes widened, "What are you doing here?" 

"The question is, what are _you_ doing here? It's quite early." He gestured to the window, the sun was just starting to rise and there was nowhere near enough light to illuminate the room. That was why Draco had lit the fire. 

"I know it is. I normally get up early. Do you? How long have you been up? Why are you up-" 

"Slow down with the questions. Yes, I normally get up early. I've been up since 4 and for your last question, I'm sorry but that is none of your business." Draco answered. 

Lupin looked sheepish at being reprimanded, he looked down again and coughed a little, "Sorry." He mumbled. 

Draco nodded and went back to looking at the fire. He didn't know why he tortured himself by being around the fire. He hated it. Ever since his encounter with fiendfyre. That was what his nightmare had been about this time. That night in the room of requirement. 

Occlumency was good at keeping emotions and thoughts at bay when he was awake, but when he went into the dream world, all his shields collapsed and the memories flooded back into his head. Sometimes, he took dreamless sleep, but that was only when he _needed_ to have a good night's sleep. Normally before a raid or a stakeout. 

Otherwise, he wouldn't take it. He would like to say it was because of the side effects and long term exposure. But that wasn't it. No, he _wanted_ to feel the guilt. He _wanted_ to remember. 

Because he knew, no matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did. He would always be a deatheater in the public's eyes. A coward who had done nothing in the war and was saved because Saint Potter took pity on him. 

He sighed. 

At least this time it wasn't about the night in the Astronomy tower. He played a little game with himself every night before he went to bed. What would his nightmares be about this time? 

He was sure it would've been about Dumbledore. But no, it had been the room of requirement. That was arguably the worst one to have as it left him jumpy the rest of the day. Not to mention the fact that he wouldn't go around fire for the rest of the day. 

Now, he was forcing himself to sit near the fireplace. It scared him. Every time he looked into the flames he swore he could see the head of the dragon that had been summoned in the fiendfyre. 

"Hello?" Draco jumped. 

Lupin stood near him, looking at him with worry. 

"I'm sorry, but you kept on staring at the fireplace for a good 10 minutes," Lupin said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Oh. Thank you." Draco didn't know what he was thanking Lupin for, it just seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. 

"For what?" Lupin sounded confused. 

Draco shrugged, "Your concern." He improvised. 

"Oh. No problem." Lupin sat down on the couch across from him and Draco noticed the bags under his eyes and how gaunt his face looked. 

Draco got up and went to go get a glass of water, there was a pitcher that he had summoned earlier, a glass lay next to it. He poured a glass of water and walked back over to Lupin, thrusting the glass into his hands. 

Lupin's eyes widened, "What's this for?" 

"You look like shit." Draco deadpanned.

Lupin rolled his eyes, "Thanks." 

Draco smirked, "I'm honest." 

"I can tell," Lupin smirked back. 

Lupin drank the glass of water in one big chug, "That was fast." Draco remarked. 

"I was thirsty." Lupin shrugged. 

"I can tell," Draco said.

"You know, you're different," Lupin said suddenly. 

Draco was curious, "How so?" He asked. 

"I don't know. You just seem different. You're not Sirius or James, they love playing pranks on people and just messing with people in general. You aren't actively trying to make friends as most people do in their first year. You're interesting." Lupin shrugged. 

Draco tilted his head, "You're different as well, Lupin." Lupin stiffened. 

"I've seen you talking with your other housemates; when you were guiding the first years into their dorms. You were kind and knew what they were going to ask. Even though this is most likely your first year as a prefect. You're intelligent, I'll give you that. But you act differently around me and I don't know why. You even act differently around Pettigrew. There's something about you that's _different_." 

Draco revelled in the way Lupin's body went rigid. He thought Draco was talking about his Lycanthropy. He was in some aspects. But he wasn't in most. Lupin truly did act differently around him and Draco would find out why. Potter and Black seemed to know. But Lupin was different aside from his Lycanthropy, it was something that Draco couldn't put his finger on. 

"So we're analyzing each other." Lupin smiled, a small one, but a smile nonetheless. 

"You could say that." Draco smiled back. 

Lupin chuckled. 

"You know, if you need to talk about your nightmares to anyone, you can tell me. I won't force you, but it's nice to have someone to go to. Even if you have no intention of going to them. It's nice to know that you can, you know." Lupin's eyes softened and Draco knew he was thinking of his own friends. That was what made the most sense.

"I don't actually." Draco broke eye contact. He truly didn't know what it was like. 

He hated that he was showing so much emotion to someone that was basically a stranger. But there was just something about Lupin that made anyone feel welcome. Draco remembered how kind he had been as a Professor. He hadn't shown any resentment towards anyone when he had been fired. He had just smiled, packed his bags and left. 

"You know, Sirius didn't know either. He hides behind his mask of laughs and snark, but there's always something buried beneath it. I won't tell you anything else since it's not mine to tell. But you should talk to Sirius. One on one." Lupin suggested in the same soft voice he had used with the first years. 

"If you need a laugh, James is the one--" Lupin was cut off by two collective shrieks coming from upstairs and Draco faltered. Had that much time passed? 

He looked out the window and was stunned to see that the sun had almost risen completely. His prank had definitely just been set off. 

_"BLACK!"_ Sirius and James yelled at the same time. 

Lupin whipped around to face him, eyes wide, silently questioning him. Draco giggled, smirking devilishly. 

Frantic footsteps were heard, James and Sirius were coming downstairs. 

Lupin's mouth dropped open at seeing his two best friends. 

Sirius' left side had been dyed a lovely shade of Slytherin green while his other side a vibrant shade of Gryffindor red. His hair was golden. 

James, on the other hand, was sporting a head of Ravenclaw blue hair and his entire body had been dyed Hufflepuff yellow. Skin included. Even his eyes were not spared, they had changed from their normal hazel to royal blue. They both looked furious. 

Draco dissolved into laughter. True laughter. 

"Change us back!" James whined. 

"I can't go to class like this! My hair!" Sirius cried in despair. 

"Your hair?! I'm yellow!" James gestured to himself. 

They both argued back and forth on who had it worse and eventually, a group of Gryffindors came down to see what the ruckus was about. Many of them looked sleepy while others looked furious. But the majority of them started laughing once they saw the rainbow-coloured men in the middle of the common room. 

"James? Sirius?" Lupin finally breathed out. 

"Moony! Fix us!" James begged. 

Lupin turned to Draco, who had stopped laughing but was still looking at the boys with mirth. 

"You did this?" Lupin still looked stunned. 

"You told me about the welcome prank, did you not?" Draco questioned. 

"How did you avoid the Flobberworm paste?" Peter arrived from seemingly nowhere. 

"Scourgify." Draco rolled his eyes. He had cast Scourgify when he woke up. The prank was meant to deploy the paste as soon as he woke up, a quick _Scourgify_ was nothing.

"The pranksters have been pranked." Someone called out, laughing. 

A tall boy made his way into the middle of Sirius and James. He threw his arms around both of their shoulders. 

"Good job, new kid." He complimented. 

"Who are you?" Draco asked.

"Frank. Frank Longbottom." He let go of Sirius and James who were both struggling in his embrace. He walked over to Draco and thrust out his hand. 

Inwardly, Draco was freaking out. Frank Longbottom. Frank Longbottom who had been tortured by his Aunt into insanity. Frank Longbottom who had never recovered and had left behind a boy, Neville Longbottom. Who Draco had been horrible to in his school years. 

Outwardly, Draco smiled and shook Frank's hand. 

Frank beamed back at him and enveloped Draco in a rather crushing hug. Draco felt his feet lift off the ground. Well, Frank certainly was strong. A bit too strong, Draco fought to breathe. 

"Frank, you're crushing him," Lupin said. 

Frank let go of him but still ruffled his hair. Much to Draco's horror. His hair was his favourite thing about himself. Especially after he had grown it out. Good thing he always had an emergency comb on him. 

He scowled at Frank and summoned said hairbrush with a quick _Accio_. 

The hairbrush flew into his hand and Frank chuckled, "Someone's obsessed with their hair." He teased. 

"At least I know how to take care of mine. Unlike your mop of hair." He said haughtily. It was true, Longbottom's hair reminded him of his Potter's. Potter never did manage to learn how to take care of it. Even when Draco had managed to help. 

He started to brush his hair, breakfast would start in an hour and he had no intention of missing it. 

"How am I supposed to woo Evans looking like a _lemon drop!_ " The unexpected cry made Draco snort. 

James Potter was stomping over to him, "You! Fix this!" He shook Draco's shoulders looking desperate. 

Draco pretended to look apologetic, he knew it looked fake, "I'm sorry, but the spell lasts for 12 hours." 

James and Sirius yelled out in despair.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long wait! I've been on hiatus for a while. I recently got a new niece and I've been taking care of her as her mother was unable to. She got sick recently and It's been kind of hectic! Sorry again.

Draco was surprised when Potter and Black got over his little prank by breakfast. They were acting like it was nothing, in fact, they were embracing it.

James had gotten compliments on how he looked. People said it suited him. Black had been given points for showing 'house pride' but Draco knew Dumbledore was just trying to screw with him. And it worked. Draco was miffed at how suave they were about this prank. But he could see the embarrassment dancing in their eyes. 

Not to mention the fact that Remus and Pettigrew would never let this go. Remus had even pulled out a muggle camera from Merlin knows where and started taking pictures of them. It was safe to say that had put James and Sirius in a bad mood. 

Black was still glaring at him from time to time though. Draco could see the suspicion lining his eyes. That was why he was here. Waiting for Black to come out of the classroom. 

James had come out first and Draco had shooed him off, promising him that Lily Evans was just down the hallway. That had gotten rid of him real quick. Remus didn't inquire much. He asked Draco if he was coming and Draco had said no. That was it. Pettigrew just followed Remus. 

Black walked out the door, but before he could walk much farther, Draco cornered him. 

Black flinched back, "What are you doing? Where's Remus and James and Peter?" 

"Gone. I wanted to talk with you." Draco said. 

Black's face paled and Draco rushed to add, "They're not dead! They're in their next class. _Our_ next class. For Merlin's sake." Draco muttered the last part under his breath. He would admit that at times he could be paranoid, but he wasn't _this_ paranoid. 

Something occurred to him. There was always a reason behind Paranoia. Sometimes those reasons were ridiculous, like watching a scary movie, but they were reasons. He wondered what Black's reason could be. He would have to dig into the boy's backstory a bit. Potter hadn't mentioned much about him. Potter didn't like to talk about the people he had lost and neither did Draco. There was only one time they had ever even mentioned the people they'd lost and they had been flat-out drunk. 

"Well, I'm here. Talk." Black ordered. 

Draco rolled his eyes, "You've been glaring at me for basically the whole time I've been here. Care to explain?" Draco crossed his arms. 

"Yeah, sure. I don't trust you. I mean, suddenly there's a new student at Hogwarts and he's got my last name. Suspicious isn't it?" Black returned. 

"Yes, it is. I don't blame you for being suspicious but try to be more subtle about it in the future, alright? I swear I could feel a hole being burned into the back of my head." Draco scrunched up his nose. 

Black didn't trust him which was fair. He didn't have to have the boy trust him. But he wanted to. He had thought about it last night and had decided that he wanted to change the future. 

There were so many things that had been done during the wizarding wars. So many lives had been lost. Children had been separated from their families and the death toll had almost been enough to cause the extinction of the whole wizarding race. 

He wouldn't let that happen again. If he could change something, anything, then he would. No matter what he had to do to do it. 

From what he had observed, Black was a fun-loving and reckless person. He didn't think before he acted nor did he think before he spoke. He didn't think of the consequences of his actions which had led to him getting an astronomical amount of detentions. 

But he was smart. He wasn't an airhead. He knew how to charm people. A subtle form of manipulation but a form of manipulation nonetheless. And the fact that he came from a pureblood family meant he was well versed in politics as well as wizarding rules. His handle on his magic was advanced for someone of his age. 

Draco knew what he needed to do to make Black trust him. Make his friends trust him. 

Black had an immensely close relationship with his friends, he listened to what they said and that was exactly what he needed. If all of Black's friends started to warm up to him, Black would reluctantly give him a chance. 

"Alright. But I still don't trust you." He made an exaggerated movement of pointing his fingers to his eyes and then to Draco's. 

Draco internally rolled his eyes. Even when Black was trying to be serious he looked like an idiot. No wonder people liked him. They made him laugh and that was what people looked for in a person.

"Now, Potions?" Draco asked, changing the subject. 

Black looked at him for a long moment. 

Finally, he answered, "Potions." 

Draco nodded and turned around, walking down the hallway. He didn't need to look around, he could hear Black's footsteps behind him. 

Something occurred to him. Almost all of their professors had been the same, Flitwick, McGonagall and Sprout. Yes, they looked younger but that was to be expected. Sure, the DADA professor was different but that was nothing new. 

But now, he wouldn't have Snape as a teacher. Potions was one of his favourite subjects. It was like cooking, something he took joy in when he could. Sometimes he would even cook for his friends, like Pansy or Blaise. Potions was something he took comfort in. He had taken an interest in potions ever since Severus had first introduced him to it. 

But what really made Potions exciting was Severus. He had looked up to him as a child, since the first day he had started tutoring him. Yes, he was strict and mean at times. But if you knew what to look for, you'd see the occasional twitch of his mouth and the glint in his eyes. The way he twisted his words when he wanted to congratulate you but also didn't want it to go to your head. 

Now, Severus wouldn't be teaching Potions. Instead, it would be that jolly jelly bean of a man Slughorn. He briefly remembered the man from his sixth year. Slughorn had once mentioned something about adding him to his 'collection'. Creepy. 

"How nice of you to join us?" A voice boomed. 

Draco hadn't realized he had already made it to the dungeons. He must have been operating on autopilot. Sometimes that happened when he was brooding. 

He looked up at the man and saw him looking at them in amusement. Glancing at the full classroom, Draco realized that they were, in fact, late. He'd never been late to a class before. 

"So sorry, Sir. I got lost and Sirius had to show me the way here." The lie flew easily out of his mouth. 

Sirius glanced at him with a curious expression on his face but nodded. 

Slughorn laughed, "I'm not mad. Please, please, sit down." The man gestured to a few empty seats, next to...a black-haired boy. He looked oddly familiar. 

Sirius and the boy groaned. Draco ignored them and made his way to sit down next to the boy. He would find out who he was soon enough. He was a Slytherin, so that meant asking him was out of the question. He knew his own kind, and asking them what their name was - especially this far into the year - and they would give you a look full of disdain and completely ignore you. 

The boy glanced at him only once - not kindly - and went back to his book, scribbling furiously. 

Wait, book, potions, horrible hair- 

"Snivellus." Sirius sneered next to him. 

Snape looked up at Sirius and sneered, "Black." He spat out. 

Ah, he had forgotten about the animosity between the Marauders and Snape. Severus had told him stories of them and their little 'pranks'. Little Draco had been absolutely horrified that someone would do that to his beloved Godfather, he still was. 

Sirius opened his mouth to say something but Draco gave him a withering glare and he shut up, looking at him in shock. 

"I'm almost 100% sure that his name isn't Snivellus, Sirius." He said. 

Snape's eyes widened just a fraction and a little flash sparked in his eyes, he was surprised. 

"Why do you care?" Sirius asked, his voice lowered to a whisper as Slughorn came by. 

Draco thought for a moment. There were two reasons why he cared. 

1\. This was his Godfather. 

2\. He had been called a fair share of bad names before. 

'Death eater scum.' Was one of their favourites, as well as 'ex death eater.' 

Draco raised an eyebrow at Black and said, "Because I don't like to see someone being called names. Especially when they have done nothing. So, shut. Up." He paused between the last two words, his annoyance clear in his voice. 

It was the most emotion he had shown for the whole two days they had known each other and Black knew it. He gave him a look that screamed 'We'll talk later' and went back to his own textbook. 

Draco took his own book out of his bag. He didn't even need to read it. He knew potions that even Slughorn didn't know. He could brew a...what was it they were brewing? 

He glanced at the chalkboard. 

'Blood replenishing potion.' 

That would be easy. He flipped open to the page that was written on the chalkboard and immediately noticed several flaws in the recipe. Really, what were they teaching these kids?

Severus had taught him how to brew this potion correctly. 

He glanced at said person and suddenly realized what he was doing. He was correcting the textbook. That was how Severus had known what to do, he had fixed the textbook recipes. 

Draco chuckled to himself and went to go get the ingredients.

If he remembered correctly, the Dark Lord rose to power in the mid-'70s. Severus and his father had been a few of his first supporters, Severus had been one of his most helpful followers while his father had been the most loyal. The Dark Lord only took helpful minions or those with high standing in Wizarding society. For all his talk of purifying the Wizarding World, the Dark Lord was a hypocrite. He took followers that were Half-blood because they would be useful to him and no one questioned him because they knew it would mean certain death. 

Severus had joined the Death Eaters for a plethora of reasons, but there were two more prominent ones. The Marauders were the first one, their bullying made Severus hate them, and in turn, Gryffindors. The Marauders had been loved by all, they were everything that the wizarding world stood for, Gryffindor and Pureblood. They had been shown blatant favouritism while Severus had been hated, he had been a Slytherin and a Halfblood after all. 

The second reason was Lily Evans, their friendship falling apart had been the final blow to Severus. Lily had been his only friend and he had grown obsessed with her, it was rather unhealthy. 

If he could put a stop to the Marauders bullying, that would definitely give him an opening to at least talk to Severus. 

He didn't have much hope for Evans however. She had been surrounded by people who hated Severus and Slytherins for six years just as Severus had been surrounded by people who hated Muggles and Muggleborns for six years. 

But he had hope. He should at least try, make them talk to each other, their friendship wouldn't be restored, he knew that. But they would at least be civil to each other, and Severus could move on from her. 

Taking away at least one of the Dark Lord's most powerful followers would be a good hit on him. But taking away only one wouldn't delay him for long. He would need to take away at least a handful of his followers. Severus would be a good starting point. But there was a certain someone that he had his eye on. 

Regulus Black. 

There wasn't much known about him. But he was a war hero. What he did to earn that title? No one knew. Draco knew that there was at least one part of him that disagreed with Voldemort's ways. Maybe he agreed with the Pureblood ideology but not the methods. He would need to get more information on him. Severus would be a good start with that. Or Sirius. Whatever happened first. 

Who else--

"Draco!" Someone called out, bringing him out of his thoughts. 

He didn't look at them, he knew it was Sirius, "What?" He asked absentmindedly, still thinking about his plan. How would he get close to Ev--

"How are you doing that?" Sirius asked. 

Draco turned his head just slightly to look at him, "Do what?" 

"Make the potion! You're clearly not paying attention but you're doing everything the book says, and then some!" Sirius said, trying to keep his voice to a whisper but failing miserably. 

Draco looked down and sure enough, the potion was almost done and was almost the familiar blood-red colour. 

He had brewed the potion so many times before that it was practically second nature. As well as Skele-gro. They were just potions you had to know how to make, or at least have on you at all times. He had been the partner who had brewed the potions. Merlin knows Potter can't brew a potion to save his life. Literally. 

He always had the ingredients on him, and some extra vials for emergencies. He was paranoid like that. And it had proven to be useful. 

"I've made it a lot before." He shrugged saying it loud enough knowing what would happen.

Sirius opened his mouth to say something but was cut off, " _Why_ have you made it before? It's second nature to you."

Draco looked over and saw Severus glaring at him, but there was a large glint of curiosity in his eyes. 

He smirked internally. Severus had taken the bait, and from the looks of it, he had been listening in on their conversation. He had piqued his curiosity, and he knew Severus' how Severus was when he was curious. He hated not knowing things, he hated having to guess and not knowing if he was right. He just had to be sure of everything. 

It was an opening, one that Draco full-heartedly meant to exploit. 

Draco looked at Severus and smiled, "Practice." He knew Sirius would accept the answer if a bit reluctantly. But Severus would never accept it. After all, if he wanted to practice, why not use a more low-level potion, or a harder one? Blood replenishing potion was neither practical nor a challenging potion to make. His answer was clearly fake. 

Draco looked away, knowing he had set the first seeds of curiosity into Severus' mind. He added the finishing touch to his potion and smiled when it bubbled and fizzed, a sign that he had finished. 

It was perfect. 

Slughorn walked over to their cauldron, his eyes widening once he saw it. "I say! This is perfect, utterly perfect. It looks like you have potential Mr Black." He grinned, looking Draco over. He had heard rumours of Slughorn's 'collection' as he liked to call it. 

He knew Slughorn would ask Draco to be a part of it, and Draco would accept. Because Severus was in it, as well as Regulus Black. There were many people in the club and it would be a perfect place to observe and 'make friends.' 

"Please stay after class," Slughorn said, still grinning from ear to ear. His grin faltered when he looked over at Sirius, "Oh, and good job to you as well, Mr Black." He said halfheartedly before leaving. 

Draco glanced around the room to see many people looking at him with curiosity while others were looking at him in spite. James was giving him a thumbs up. He couldn't quite tell what Remus was doing though, he was obviously doing something odd, but when he saw Draco looking at him, he looked away and put his head in his hands. It didn't really matter though. 

He didn't have anything else to do, so he just watched everyone else make their potions, there was still a half-hour of class left after all.

Severus was quick to finish after them while Evans followed quickly after him. Severus looked over at Evans and visibly flinched when she looked away from him. Regulus Black, who had been hovering in the corner, seemingly invisible to everyone else finished in between everyone else. But the weird thing was that it was on purpose. He was trying to blend in, for what reason Draco didn't know, but he would figure it out. 

Everyone finished quickly after that, all except for one. 

Peter Pettigrew, whose Cauldron exploded. 

**************************

"I have to say, I'm impressed Mr Black, but not surprised. Every single Black has managed to do great things, especially under my guidance." Slughorn's smile dimmed, "All except for one.." He muttered under his breath. 

Slughorn looked back at him, smile sharp, "There are places where you can put your talent to good use." He started. Draco internally rolled his eyes, but kept the smile on his face and tilted his head just slightly to convey curiosity. 

"I would like you to join the Slug Club." He said bluntly. 

Draco pretended to think for a moment, "What is that, Sir?" 

If possible, Slughorn's smile widened, "A club that is full of the most prosperous potion makers. Many of the people in your class are in it, as well as Severus and Lily." 

Draco raised an eyebrow, he hadn't known Lily Potter was in the club. It made sense that Severus hadn't mentioned it. He never liked talking about her if he wasn't flat out drunk or yelling at someone. 

Slughorn must have misunderstood his silence, "Yes, I know, there will be some competition but you must not be so modest, Mr Black. I have only seen a handful of people manage to make such a perfect batch of Blood replenishing potion..." He trailed off, his eyes unfocused. He must have been remembering someone, or something. Not that it mattered. 

Or maybe it did. Draco had heard rumours of Slughorn teaching Voldemort himself. He knew that The Dark Lord had been a student at the school, it would only make sense for him to be unbelievably smart. But his intellect had died down, replaced by arrogance, and arrogance had clouded his judgement as well as his mind. 

But he couldn't jump to conclusions. It was only a theory, he would have to get more information before he could even think of Voldemort's identity. If only Potter had given him more information. He wondered if Dumbledore would be able to help him... 

"Mr Black!" Slughorn startled him out of his thoughts. 

Draco glanced at him. He seemed to be wandering off more often these days. But then again, it wasn't like you could blame him. He was going through a lot right now. He was still having trouble believing all of this was real. 

"Just mulling it over in my head, Sir." The lie came out easily enough. He had been trained to lie to get what he wanted for as long as he could remember after all. 

"Of course, take as much time as needed." 

"I just...don't know if I'm the best choice for this, Professor." He mumbled distractedly, keeping up the modest appearance. 

"Of course you are!" Slughorn said immediately. 

"Alright." Draco appeared to be hesitant. 

"Trust me, Mr Black, you'll fit right in." Slughorn's grin had turned feral. He had added another item to his collection after all. If only he knew how valuable he really was. 

Draco made to get up, "May I leave now, Sir?" 

"Yes, yes, of course." Slughorn nodded. 

Draco struggled to keep the grin off of his face, everything was going according to plan. If he could call his simple idea a plan. 

***********************

"Hey, man, so what'd Old Sluggy have to say?" James turned to him in the middle of McGonagall's lecture.

"Nothing much, he just wanted me to join something called the Slug Club." He replied without looking. 

"Knew it! Sirius owes me 5 galleons!" James whispered excitedly. 

Draco's lips twitched, he had to admit. For all Severus had told him about the Marauders, they weren't all that bad. James was...interesting. He was amusing. It would be hard to imagine him being cruel. 

But of course, he wouldn't have to wait long to see it. Sirius had been mean to Severus and James would be as well. At least Severus wasn't in this class, he really didn't want another one of them being mean to his future Godfather. 

"Is something amusing, Mr Potter?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow. 

"Nope," James replied easily. 

"Mr Black?" McGonagall's gaze sharpened, her eye's hardened, like she was assessing him. He had seen the look before many times. In his father, and his 'friends'. 

"No, Professor." Draco wondered what she would do if he piqued her interest. Would she watch him? Complain to the Headmaster? Knowing McGonagall, it would be more sneaky than that. She was like Granger, a Ravenclaw disguised as a Gryffindor.

"I would prefer if you didn't talk during my class." She said before continuing her lecture. Draco wasn't really paying attention but he could at least pretend that he was. 

James threw something at his head. 

Alright, maybe he couldn't pay attention. 

He looked at the scrap of paper that had fallen on the floor. 

_'Minnie's in a bad mood today :('_

Draco glanced at James who was pouting at him. Draco raised an eyebrow, horrifyingly, James and Pansy weren't all that different. Pansy would strangle him if she heard him say that. 

James was writing something else out but was hiding it from Draco's view. Giving him a pointed look when he had tried to read it before James was finished. 

Right when Draco's attention was back on McGonagall, he felt something else hit the side of his head. 

He barely refrained from sighing before looking at the paper. 

_'Gotta say, I'm impressed, Old Sluggy doesn't recruit people often. He nearly burst a blood vessel when Remus said he didn't wanna join. Been hounding him ever since. Moony said he didn't want to join because he 'didn't see the point of it.' That might change now though ;)'_

Draco wondered what the last sentence was about. It wasn't like James to be vague, if anything, he was as blunt as could get. If his blatant flirting with Lily was anything to go by. 

He looked at James and shrugged. He could practically hear his father's voice in his head, _'Malfoys are graceful, elegant!'_ He'd say.

If Draco could go back in time - poor choice of words - he would have looked his father right in the eye and said, _'Fuck elegance.'_ It would be worth it to see the look on his face. 

He didn't have anything to say to James so he went back to the lesson. James would tell him more in the common room. This was their last class, he could wait for a few more minutes. 

******************

It turned out, James was really fucking impatient.

Apparently, he did this a lot. He knew when McGonagall turned her back and threw him notes at exactly the right times. He wouldn't look down at them, but his eyes had started twitching. That couldn't be healthy. 

"Psst!" James hissed for the millionth time. Draco was barely refraining from pounding his head into the table. 

_"Draco."_ He whined. 

Draco knew this was a bad idea. But he had never been known for his self-control. If anything, this was rather in character of him. He slyly moved his wand from the table and pointed it in the direction of Potter, muttering under his breath, _"Silencio."_

He waited for a minute and when he didn't hear anything he let himself relax. 

Draco now knew; every Potter was an annoying prick. 

***********************

"That is all, you may now leave." McGonagall clapped her hands and the chalkboard erased itself. 

Draco grabbed his homework and sprinted - speed-walked - towards the door. He had just gotten out when he felt someone tug on his sleeve. He turned around, already knowing who it was and sighed when he saw James Potter standing next to him, pouting. 

"You're mean." He stated matter-of-factly. 

Draco nodded, "You're a child." 

James rolled his eyes, "You have to teach me that spell." He smirked. 

"No," Draco said. 

He regretted it immediately when James started to whine once again, _"But D!"_

Draco stopped walking, looking at James in barely concealed horror, "Did you really shorten my name to one letter? It's only two syllables." 

"Exactly, way too long." 

"Gryffindors." He muttered under his breath.

"So..Slug Club?" James changed the subject, looking at him in interest. 

"He liked the potion I made." 

"Yeah, how'd you know the textbook was wrong?" 

"A friend taught me." 

James gave him a look but didn't ask anything else. 

"He's never invited a student on the first day." He tried to start another conversation but Draco only hummed, not answering, having no intention or desire to talk to the boy. 

Classes were over for the day. He knew for a fact that Severus would be in the library, so that was where Draco was going. If James asked where he was going, he would just say to study and the boy would take off in the other direction. It was a trick he had learned from watching Potter, Granger and Weasley. 

Speaking of Potter, he would have to think of another way to refer to James, he still sometimes called him Potter. He didn't want to confuse Harry and James in his head. 

As predicted, when he went in the other direction, James asked, "Where are you going?" 

"To the library." 

James didn't bother replying before sprinting to the common room. They were so predictable. Sometimes he wished his father hadn't taught him how to read people so easily. It made it so boring. 

He glanced behind him, making sure James had left, even though he knew the chance of him actually being there was small, he didn't want to risk it. As the Muggles said, 'It was better to be safe than sorry.' 

Oh the horror his father would feel if he ever heard him using a Muggle saying. 

He shook the thought of his father from his head and started walking to the library. He swore he could still feel the man's voice in his head when he did something that would constitute as 'wrong' in his father's eyes. 

He passed many familiar faces in the hallway, some he had seen from pictures in _'The Daily Prophet'_ either as Death Eaters or as Aurors. Some resembled their children, like James. He found himself staring at Pansy's mother. Only then did he realize how much he missed her and Blaise. 

They had been all he had left. They had never been that close at Hogwarts, but when their parents’ hold on them was gone, they had become friends. Close friends. They had started referring to themselves as the Silver Trio. 

What made him stop dead in his tracks, however, was Crabbe's mother and father. They were talking to each other in the hallway and looked vaguely in love. It was rare for purebloods to marry out of love. But Crabbe's family had been a rare case. 

Oh Merlin, how he missed Crabbe. They had been friends since as long as he could remember. When Crabbe had fallen, it had hurt him, but Goyle was...inconsolable. 

No one had come out of that war unscathed. 

That was why he had to stop it, save as many lives as he could. 

For Crabbe. 

**********************

Severus was sitting by himself in a secluded corner of the library. His nose was buried in an abnormally large book. It was strange how similar Granger and Snape really were. 

Even though there was an aura around the boy that screamed, _'Don't come here.'_ Draco walked over to him. He didn't bother to greet him before sitting in the chair across from him and starting on his Potions homework. 

He knew Slytherins. He knew how to get close to them. There was a reason he had been called The Prince of Slytherin. 

He could feel Severus' eyes on him. But he wouldn't look up. Giving him the first move was always important. Make them feel like they were in control. 

_"What are you doing?"_ Severus hissed. 

Draco glanced up at him, "Sitting here." He didn't bother asking if Severus didn't like it. He knew he didn't. 

"Don't." He spat. 

"Why?" Draco asked. 

_"Why?_ Because I don't want you to!" 

"Again, I ask, why? Why don't you like me? Why don't you want me to sit here?" He could feel fighting to make its way on his face but he fought it off easily. He knew a smirk would send the wrong message; like he was teasing him. Mocking him. 

"Because you're a Gryffindor!" His voice was steadily getting louder but Pince came over and hushed them. 

"Because you're a Gryffindor." He said in a lower voice, but the venom was still there. 

"I am." Draco nodded. 

Before Severus could say anything, he said something else, "But does it matter?" 

Severus didn't hesitate, "Yes!" 

Draco leaned in slightly close, "Why?" 

Severus looked at him like he was insane, "Are you mental? I'm a Slytherin, you're a Gryffindor. Is this a prank? Leave me alone, Black." He spat out the last name. 

"I don't care about houses, Snape." 

Severus didn't bother responding, instead, he snapped his book shut and started to pack everything. But Draco had already predicted this. 

"If you let me stay, I'll answer whatever question you have for me. Truthfully." 

Snape stuttered. Looking at him with calculating eyes. He knew the boy had questions, he had felt his eyes on him during the sorting ceremony. Severus had always been an attentive person, there was no way he bought the lies he fed the Gryffindors and even if he did, he would have questions. 

The simple prospect of having his questions answered would be too much for him. And even if he didn't believe the answers, at least he would have something to go off of. 

No Slytherin would turn it down. 

And Snape didn't. 

He didn't bother confirming, instead shooting straight to the questions, "How did you know how to make the potion? You didn't follow the textbook recipe."

"I really did have a lot of practice in making it. An old friend of mine tweaked the recipes in his Hogwarts days and passed the recipes down to me. He made me practice making them and eventually they became second nature. He used the potions I made and used them in his own personal stash. He was a potions master." 

Severus wasn't convinced, "How did you know _that exact recipe._ " Severus must have been writing down his own recipe already, but he didn't want to reveal it to someone he didn't trust. 

"Again, I just used the recipe he gave me. I only know what he told me."

Draco said. Severus scoffed and eyed him up and down. 

"When you were looking over the students during the feastl you smiled when you saw me." Severus turned his gaze to Draco, motioning for him to answer the underlying question. 

"Your mother." 

Severus flinched, but it was well concealed, "What about her?" He hissed, the malice back. 

"She was a good Potions Master. My mentor knew of her and told me about her. He told me many things. That she had a son my age and that he had taken after her, possibly even better." 

Snape looked at him with renewed interest. 

"Who was this, 'old friend.'" He asked, scepticism heavy in his tone. 

"A descendant of the Pince family." He said truthfully, Severus _was_ a descendant of the Pince family. 

"What was his name?" 

"I can't tell you. You wouldn't want me to anyways." 

The suspicion was back in Severus' eyes. 

"Who are you to tell me what I want?" His tone shifting into something Draco couldn't decipher. 

"Not many people like him. Not even Dumbledore." That last part was a lie, or at least, he thought so. The relationship between Dumbledore and his Godfather had always been strange.

That only sparked Severus' interest more, "You talk about him like you admire him. Who was he to you?" 

That was a question he hadn't expected. 

Draco wasn't used to being startled. Normally, he could predict what a person was about to do minutes before they actually did it. It was a gift he had had since childhood. There were very few people that had managed to be able to surprise him. Severus had been one of them. 

Of course the man would be able to do it even as a teenager. 

"He was...my mentor. But he was also like a father to me." Draco was surprised at himself. He hadn't meant to say that last part. It had just come out. And now, he was thinking about it, was Severus like a father to him? 

His own father had loved him, sure, he knew that. But his relationship with the man had relied on making Lucius proud and being useful. It wasn't healthy. But Severus had accepted his mistakes, he taught him. He didn't yell at him for getting a lower score. Instead, he made sure he would get a higher one the next time. 

Someone sent a hex his way. 

He startled, looking at the younger Severus who was glaring at him, wand in hand and still pointed at him. 

"Don't zone out." He deadpanned. 

Draco nodded. Severus had always been scary. 

"Is he still alive?" Of course Severus would go for the sensitive questions with no regard to how the other person would feel.

"In a way," Draco said. 

Severus gave him a look, "I swear if you say 'He's alive in my memories' or some shite, I'm leaving." 

Draco knew he wasn't joking and he wasn't trying to either, but it got a laugh out of him. A real laugh. Severus' eyes widened momentarily before going back to his somber face. But Draco could see that something was different about it now, but he couldn't tell if it was good or bad. 

"No, he's dead. But his legacy does live on. His work was his child and he passed it on to me." Draco answered truthfully. 

Snape tilted his head, looking deep in thought. He opened his mouth, hesitating for a moment, it was just a moment, but it was long enough to catch. 

"I don't need your pity." Snape narrowed his eyes. 

Draco hadn't expected this. Well, he had. But not like this, he had expected it to be in the form of a question like, 'Why did you stop James?' But instead, Severus only assumed that he had reacted out of pity for him. 

"I don't pity you. I've experienced what you have. Simple as that." He said sincerely. 

"I don't see how that's different from pity.'"

"I don't think you're less because of what you've gone through, Snape. It just adds to what you've already learned. Makes you a better person, if you take it the right way." 

Snape sneered, "So that's why you're here, to 'make me a better person?' Did Dumbledore send you?" 

Dumbledore? Why would Dumbledore send him? Maybe Dumbledore knew what was happening with Severus and was trying to strike up some type of deal? When did Severus start spying?--

Another hex startled him out of his thoughts and to his credit, he didn't flinch. The hex was much more powerful now. The look on Snape's face said it all, he was angry, both at being ignored and the possibility of Dumbledore sending him. 

"No, Dumbledore didn't send me. You piqued my interest, Snape. You're not half bad." A little bit of flattery - if you could call it that - never hurt. 

If it was Pansy, she would wave her hand and say, _'Flattery will get you everywhere.'_

But this wasn't Pansy. So he shouldn't have been surprised by the resounding scoff. 

"Yeah, right." Snape rolled his eyes. 

"I'm telling you the truth. It's your choice whether you want to believe me or not." Draco said and got up to leave. Satisfied with having the last word. 

**********************

Lupin was sitting on the couch staring deeply into the fire. It looked like he hadn't even noticed Draco come in. He wasn't even trying to be sneaky, and didn't Werewolves have enhanced hearing? He would have to research on that later. If he felt like it. 

He decided to do something. Something his father would heavily disapprove of. And that was one of the main reasons he was going to do it. 

Slowly making his way up to the couch where Lupin was sitting, he got as close as possible and yelled, "Boo!" 

Lupin shrieked and fell off of the couch. 

Draco laughed before quickly covering his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter with his hand and failing miserably. It didn't help that Lupin was smiling as well, albeit hesitantly. 

"You know, aside from the whole Sirius and James thing, I've never pranked anyone. Never even scared them." At least not for fun's sake. It was always to humiliate them or make someone suffer. 

Lupin's soft smile fell in an instant and he looked at Draco with curiosity, "Never?" 

"No." He shook his head. 

Remus thought about it for a while, "Well, now that you're hanging out with the Marauders, you'll definitely pull pranks on tons of people. Especially Snape." He added under his breath. 

Draco was surprised that Remus wasn't using that other name, what was it? Snivellus? 

"If I'm going to prank anyone, I want to make sure that they enjoy it too. Speaking of, I didn't startle you too bad, did I?" 

"No!" Lupin said quickly. Too quickly. 

Draco made a show of looking Lupin up and down, "Then why are you still on your arse on the floor?" He asked. 

Lupin looked down. His eyes widened when he realized that, yes, he was still on the floor. He hurried to get up and sit back down on the couch. Well, it wasn't really sitting, he was kneeling to look at Draco over it. 

Then, seemingly remembering what Draco had said, "So you met Snape, huh?" 

"Yes." 

Lupin cringed and Draco thought he saw little flecks of guilt in the boy's eyes before he looked away and back into the fireplace where the fire was still ever burning. 

"They weren't too bad?" He asked so quietly that Draco almost didn't hear him. 

"I don't really have a reference." He answered vaguely. 

Lupin grimaced and if possible, his stare hardened even further. 

Draco couldn't believe he was doing this, "Are you...alright?" He grit out. It was the first time he had asked someone this, someone, who wasn't Blaise, Pansy or his Mother. Someone that he had only just met. 

Lupin startled and glanced at him but quickly looked away, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He said, almost to himself. He curled into a ball. 

Lupin, was not fine. 

He knew what the looks of a panic attack were, or at the very least a flashback. A few months ago - years? Time travel wasn't very good with past tenses - he would have had one from just looking at the fire. It was a magically induced one, and that knowledge didn't help. Fiendfyre had left its mark on Draco. 

Right now was one of the few times he was glad that he actually got them. He knew how to get people out of them, or at least help them get through it. 

He walked over to Lupin and sat down next to the silently panicking boy who was mumbling to himself, and started talking. Surprisingly, when he started going, he couldn't stop.

"Slughorn's an idiot. He's so arrogant, seriously, even _I'm_ not that bad. Okay, maybe I used to be. The only person who could maybe be as arrogant as him would be Pansy. Now that I think about it, I should probably spend my time with better influences. Merlin, I sound like Granger. She would probably approve of you though. Who am I kidding, of course, she would. You know, every time I met with her, she always told me _'You should do this, Draco. This is better, Draco.'_ I mean, I know she's trying to help but it's bloody annoying--" 

He heard a giggle and looked over to see Lupin watching him intently. Draco slapped a hand over his mouth. He had gotten carried away. He had never been talkative, so why was he starting to be now? 

"Oh, I'm sorry. And, um, thanks." Lupin said quietly. 

"No, It's fine. I get them too. Talking helps and-" He hesitated, "You're welcome." 

"Never pegged you as a chatterbox. You sound like James and Sirius." 

"One day around them," Draco mumbled under his breath. But Lupin heard it and guffawed. 

"Yeah, they have that effect on people. It seems I'm immune though." He shrugged. 

"Guess you are. But I think you're more of a visual person than auditory." 

Lupin tilted his head, silently asking him to go on. And to Draco's surprise, he did. 

"You express yourself through other ways than just talking. Whether it's through your passions or through your friends. Or you just don't like talking. Either way works." 

Lupin seemed to consider this for a bit, "I guess you're right." 

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, sometimes glancing at each other before someone barged in. 

"Hey, Moony." James came in, Sirius following close behind. 

Lupin waved a hand half-heartedly. 

"Where's Peter?" Lupin asked. 

"Wormtail? Don't know." Sirius replied. 

"Anyway! Dumbledore asked us to tell you something, Draco." 

That got Draco's interest, "He did? Why didn't he send a letter?" 

"He was going to. Was going to his office right then but we bumped into him and he told us to tell you. Basically, you're supposed to go to his office every week, Friday." James chirped. 

"Yeah, why do you have to go to his office, Draco? Especially every week." 

Draco shrugged, "I have no idea. Guess we'll find out at the end of the week." 

"Ooh, the suspense!" James said. 

"Hey, Draco, can I talk to you?" 

"Yeah." 

Sirius glanced at the people around them, _"Alone."_

"Got a secret you don't want us to know, Padfoot?" James asked, seemingly jokingly, but Draco heard a hint of seriousness in it. 

"We'll be right back." And he grabbed Draco's arm, not waiting for him to respond. Draco let himself be manhandled, but a flare of indignation rose in him. 

"You know I have legs, right? I'm not a baby that needs to be led everywhere." 

"Why did you defend Snape?" He turned to face him, all signs of the normally fun and carefree Sirius gone. The expression caused Draco to sober up just a bit. 

"Should I have not?" 

"He's a dark wizard." 

"Is he?" 

"He's a _Slytherin._ " He spat the last word. 

"So?" 

Sirius seemed taken aback, "They're dark wizards!" 

"Merlin was a Slytherin, is he a dark wizard?" 

"Wha-- no!" Sirius looked at him like he was stupid. 

"I'm not going to judge someone because of their house. That's what Purebloods do to Muggleborns isn't it? Judging them based on something they can't control?" 

"That's different!" 

Draco was starting to get irritated, "How? How is it different? Is it because they're all Purebloods? Well, that's bullshit, Snape's a half-blood. Is it because they all live privileged lives? That's also bullshit, if you even bothered to look at some of them, you'd see. You're not an idiot, Sirius! You're just choosing to be!" Draco's voice got louder and louder throughout the argument and eventually, he was full-on yelling. 

Normally, Draco was good at keeping his emotions in check. But he hated the prejudice Slytherins faced. Sure, he might be a hypocrite but he didn't care. Slytherins weren't bad, they were just led down the wrong path. They were always discriminated against, called dark wizards the second they were sorted, just because of their house. For Purebloods, being a Slytherin was a great honour, but being called names as an eleven-year-old would hurt anyone. Especially half-bloods, those who thought of Slytherin as everyone else did. 

He was young, he was impressionable, he didn't know better. He would make sure these kids knew better. He wouldn't let them go down the path he did. 

Draco knew he probably shouldn't ask this, but he couldn't help himself, "Do you think your brother's a monster? And before you answer, think of him before he was sorted, and then come back to me with your answer." And with the last word, Draco left. 

When he came back into the common room, there were a few more people there than when he had left. A few he recognized, like Lily Evans, but some he didn't. Like the girl she was talking to, but she did seem familiar. Draco just couldn't put his finger on it, and he was too worn out to try to. 

He was almost to the entrance to the boy's dorms when he heard someone call out his name, "Hey! Draco!" 

He looked behind him to see a flash of red hair making its way over to him and he groaned internally. He didn't want to talk to anyone else today, he had already done too much. But outwardly, he levelled his face. 

"Hello," Draco said curtly, nodding his head at the person in front of him. Lily Evans, and the person next to her. Evans' friend was looking at him with thinly veiled suspicion. 

"Hey, I'm sorry I never got a chance to say hi, I was busy touring the first years since Remus was out for a bit." 

"That's fine," Draco said, already tired of this conversation. 

"I'm Lily." She held out her hand and Draco hesitated before taking it, "Draco, but you already knew that." 

He looked at the person next to her, "And you are?" 

"Mary." She forced a smile onto her face and Draco had to keep himself from grimacing. He had heard tales of Mary Macdonald, Bellatrix used to tell them stories of her and her demise as children. Her version of a bedtime story. 

He hadn't noticed that Mary had also held out her hand and Draco took it. The suspicion in Mary's eyes was quickly turning into dislike. Draco had to change that. If he was going to be dragged into a conversation, he was going to leave making sure it had gone well. 

"So you're a Black." It came out as a statement and Draco didn't imagine the underlying disdain in her words. Lily shot her friend a quick look. 

"Yes." Draco nodded. 

"Who're your parents?" 

"Don't know them. I've been with Dumbledore for as long as I can remember." 

Mary opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when Lily elbowed her, "What is this? An interrogation? We just wanted to say hi, we'll be leaving now. Bye Draco!" 

Draco wasn't happy. Macdonald had brought up bad memories. He remembered the parties his father used to hold where they would make fun of Muggleborns. And at every party, Macdonald would come up. Even as a child, he had been disgusted with some of the things they had said while drunk and while sober. 

His father hadn't been in school when the incident with Macdonald had happened but he had wished he had been. 

Even his mother hadn't been bothered with some of the things Lucius had said, but sometimes, her eyebrow twitched. She had been uncomfortable, maybe even a little bit irritated. Once, his mother had even kicked their guests out, but politely. His mother could do anything politely, she was raised to be a 'proper lady' after all. 

Draco sighed and made his way to his dorm where he found Remus sitting on his own bed. He had looked at Draco when the door had opened and was now looking at him with his eyebrows knit together, an expression on his face that Draco didn't even bother trying to decipher. He was that tired. 

"That long of a day?" Remus asked. 

Draco responded with a grunt, not trying to keep up the facade anymore he collapsed on his bed. He wanted to go to sleep but at the same time, he didn't. He didn't want to be plagued by nightmares and didn't want to get his dreamless sleep out of his bag, they always gave him a horrible headache. The result of an overdose not that long ago. 

Remus laughed softly and nodded, "That long of a day." He nodded to himself before getting something out of his bag that sat next to him. 

He threw something onto Draco's bed and gave him a look. 

Draco sighed and reached for the book. 

The book, _'Beyond Good and Evil'_ was a psychology book that he had in his library but had never gotten around to reading. Reading always put him to sleep faster as well, it was a win-win. 

He looked at Lupin sceptically, scanning his face for any trace of mockery. But he didn't find anything but sincerity. It was so prominent that Draco almost recoiled back. Lupin wasn't even trying to hide it, smiling at him and waiting for him to start reading the book. 

So that's what Draco did. He opened the book and started to read the first page. He saw Lupin's smile grow wider from next to him and he looked up. 

"Hey, Remus." He said, getting Lupin's attention immediately. Lupin looked up from his own book and looked at him with a confused look on his face. 

"Yeah?" He asked, a bit of fear in his tone. Maybe he thought Draco was going to return the book? 

"Thank you."


End file.
